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Date:         Sun, 21 Dec 2003 06:18:52 EST
Reply-To:     RAlanen@AOL.COM
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Frank Condelli <RAlanen@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Skylight flex arm
Comments: cc: gurjeet@VELIO.COM
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"

In a message dated 21/12/2003 12:02:59 AM Eastern Standard Time, LISTSERV@GERRY.VANAGON.COM writes: I have a flex arm on which the rollers are worn off and it keeps coming off the rails in the skylight. I have unsuccessfully tried to 'superglue' a couple of shirt buttons to the metal rivet holding the rollers in place, and tried crimping a couple of 1/4 split washers onto the rivet... (both solutions suggested on the list) but they pop right off when I raise and lower the skylight.

There is a way to fix yours by making new rollers. I've done many. Drill out the old rivets and try to salvage what you can of the old rollers to use as patterns for the new ones. Find a piece of heavy duty plastic air line tubing of a diameter that closely resembles the old rollers and fits in the track slot snugly but without binding. Cut this tubing to the length of the old rollers. Find two stainless steel screws and nylock nuts that will fit the interior of these new rollers snugly without binding and allow them to turn on the screws like a roller. Find two stainless steel washers for the sides opposite the flex arms of your new rollers that will keep them from falling off the track. These washers should fit the screw diameter as snugly as possible and be of an outside diameter that prevents them from falling through the track slot. The length of the new roller assembly with the washer should be just a tad more than the thickness of the track they slide in, you can test fit them to make sure you get it right. Drill out the holes in the flex arms to match the diameter of your new screws. Screw the new roller assemblies in place on the flex arms and skylight tracks making sure the ends of screws do not i nterfere with the travel of the flex arms and the nuts not so tight as to cause the rollers to crush and bind on the tracks. You may have to cut the screws to the proper length if you cannot find suitably short ones.

Happy Holidays !

Frank Condelli Almonte, Ontario, Canada BusFusion a VW Camper camping event, Almonte, ON, June 10 ~ 13, 2004 '87 Westy & Lionel Trains Member: Vanagon List, LiMBO, IWCCC & CCVWC Vanagon/Vanagon Westfalia Service in the Ottawa Valley STEBRO/Vanagon Stainless Steel Mufflers Frank Condelli & Associates or http://frankcondelli.com


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